Blue area rug that I lugged into the school while making noises that one usually only hears behind closed doors late at night after *4 shots of tequila- $19
Bins of throw pillows, each carefully picked for plumpness, coziness and all around ‘I want to curl up and read a book with you’ feeling- $64
Wire shelving units that appeared easy to construct but resulted in me cursing so much I would have made a sailor blush and almost resulted in the loss of my pinkie finger- $58
Approximate number of hours it took to sort each book into categories- mystery, adventure, scientific fiction, people & places, space & science, arts & math, comics, do it yourself, reference, animals, research, biographies and make appropriate labels for each group. Complete with pictures of the author so kids have an idea who the face is behind the book they are reading- 6 hours
Approximate number of hours it took to “level” each book in my reading library, ensuring that kids have a better opportunity to pick books that they will feel comfortable reading-9 hours
Cost of subscription to website which I will never use again to level my books- $20
Cost for the books in our class library, 80% of which were bought at Value Village so that I could save some greenbacks students could revel in that ‘old, musty thrift store book smell’- $987.43
Amount of times I’ve started thinking of all the shoes I could have bought with $987.43 before stopping and feeding myself some cheap pep talk about children’s literacy being more important than stylish footwear which then resulted in me rolling my eyes at myself and saying ‘tell it to your feet, mama needs a new pair of shoes‘, which then further fueled the moral vs. stylish footwear dilemma I wrestle with on the daily- 483,403,502
Counting down the days until school starts so you can share your summer classroom improvement project with your kids- priceless
(Number of times I rolled my eyes while writing this post, fully aware of how cliché ridden and cheesy it was- infinite. BUT I’M STILL EXCITED).
I recently re-read “The Giving Tree” and ugly cried so hard I was sure my uterus was going to come out my nose. Which naturally leads me to ask, what is your favourite children’s book?
* 4 shots of tequila- $21
Calculating tequila shot costs in a post dedicated to my classroom library- priceless
Yey, congrats – it looks nice and I hope the Universe will pay you back with a few nice pairs of stylish footwear for such a great project! :)
P.S., my favourite children’s book – R.Scarry’s “What Do People Do All Day?”
Can I join your class?
Oh wow, I wanna be a kid again!! :)
This is amazing! Your students are incredibly lucky to have you as a teacher.
Scholastic.com has a free book wizard that levels books through DRA, guided reading, and lexile measure. Also it sounds like you leveled your books like Beth Newingham and she has other great ideas.
http://blogs.scholastic.com/top_teaching/2009/10/reading-workshop.html
My current favorite is A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon
Hi you! Thanks for the tip! I actually did use the Wizard first- but I still ended up having a handful of books that weren’t up on their site which was lameo. As for Beth Newingham, she might be my new personal Jesus!
Hundred dresses… my first day back is tomorrow. So excited!
That looks amazing! Your kids are so lucky!
Favorite Children’s Book: “Could Be Worse”. I’m 37 years old and I still have a framed copy of the cover hanging in my home office!
I think I just peed a little at how fabulous your reading corner is. That was always my favorite part of the classroom… I miss being a kid.
My favorite kid’s book is Corduroy, though I also have such a soft spot for my Shel Silverstein poetry books.
Looks great! Your kids are lucky to have you :)
Looks amazing. Can I hire you to organize my home office? :)
That’s a beautiful space you’ve created for your students!! They are going to be thrilled when they see it … you’re a great teacher!
Also, Giving Tree for me too.
Nice work! I want to read in the reading nook! :)
When I was in the third grade I yearned to be placed in the 4th grade class where they had a READING LOFT. I was, of course, devastated when I was not placed in her class. :( I have a feeling that’s how kids will feel about your class and your kick-ass reading nook :
Also, my favorite children’s book was “Beat the Turtle Drum”. So heartbreaking but as all children’s books do, it taught a lesson.
The Westing Game
Ohmygoodness Brandy- your meeting area/library looks AMAZING! I strive to make mine look like that in my classroom… I know how financially exhausting this profession is. You wouldn’t ask doctors to pay for each scalpel or instrument they use, yet we pay for almost everything. Your hard work and financial commitment will pay off… your students will totally see your love of them and of reading and reciprocate. GOOD LUCK this upcoming year. :)
Click Clack Moo is my favorite children’s book.
For slightly older kids, the Junie B. Jones books.
I LOVE IT! If I were a student of yours, you’d have to drag me out of that reading corner by my ears.
My favorite children’s book is Matilda. And anything Roald Dahl, really. I started reading him in 2nd grade and have loved his writing ever since (also one of the reasons I love Harry Potter so much – JK Rowling has a very similar writing style).
Looks amazing!
My favorite children’s books were: The Giving Tree, Make Way for Ducklings and then The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As I got a wee bit older it was any Amelia Bedelia book.
I LOVE it! This whole post is pretty awesome!
I I still cry every time I read the Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco. My favorite was also Roxaboxen by Alice McLaren. I still want to move there
Wow! It looks so cute. Your students are so lucky.
There was a book I had called “The Doll’s Christmas” that I always loved as a kid. I took a Children’s Lit class in college, though, and that made me really love “The Secret Garden.”
“Uterus came out of your nose” I MEAN. AMAZING.
Oh honey…I can’t believe you spent that much on books! I could have mailed you a box of extra books I had for less than that!!!
But the space looks great!
I love your reading corner. I hung a hot pink mosquito net over mine and put pillows inside it. Only a few kids could fit in at a time but it became a special reward. I have so many favourite children’s books, but I love ‘Hating Alison Ashley’ by Robin Klien.
Awww what a lovely thing to do for the kids. I’m sure they will be most appreciative.
:)
Hands down, “Green Eggs & Ham”. I taught myself to read using this book, and I will forever love it!!
Also, I used to have a book called the “Store-Bought Doll” about a girl who gets a new porcelain doll and as a result, begins to neglect her trusty old ragdoll that had been so good to her.
Which begs the question: why do children’s book authors insist on making children feel guilty for neglecting DOLLS and STUFFED ANIMALS? I can’t tell you how many times I played with some of the UGLIEST toys, only because I was afraid of hurting their feelings.
Wow, awesome classroom! Your kids are lucky!
That is a seriously amazingly incredible classroom! Your students are super lucky! And perhaps their parents will get you Town Shoes giftcards for Christmas (or the holidays to be PC)
First of all…I can’t believe teachers are expected to pay for this stuff out of pocket. Wow wow wow. Your library looks wonderful! If I were a kid I’d want to be reading all day!
My favourite children’s book is Goodnight Moon. I went through a Very Hungry Caterpillar phase too but I think that was mostly because of all the holes in the pages!
This room is stylin’!! loves it.
Awww! I love this! The kids are lucky to have a teacher like you.
That’s so awesome! I can’t wait to get into the classroom.
Fav kids book always and forever: Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. I love it!
The Giver, Matilda and Ballet Shoes are some of my favorites.
Madeline, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Where the Wild Things Are will always be my favorite for the slightly younger set.
I just wanted to finally comment and let you know I am in love with your blog! I am going to be a junior in college this year and I’m majoring in Elementary Education, and its a relief to know my personality doesn’t have to go out the window the minute I start working with kids. Thanks for being so inspiring, and I absolutely LOVE the quote by your mom on the right.
LOVE this space and wish i could curl up in it. one of my favorite kids’ books will always be alexander and the terrible horrible no good very bad day.
Nice classroom! My favorite kids book are Three Brave Women and Ferdinand.
Your classroom looks amazing. Mine is a bit more, erm… rugged. We do have a quiet corner though – not as many bright colors.
You are inspiring to get into my classroom and get started. :-)
I don’t envy you the leveling. So not fun.
Favorite kids’ book is anything by Robert Muncsh – but especially The Paperbag Princess.
Now THAT is a labour of love. I would have loved to have been in your class.
Favourite children’s book when I was a kid – Cinderella (with the Disney pictures).
Wow, that looks FABULOUS! I know it was a ton of work but your kids are going to love it, and it’s going to make them so much more independent as readers.
Glad someone above mentioned to Beth Newingham–she’s awesome.
I’ve compiled quite a few classroom library resources–photos, links to free labeling resources (um, might be too late for you, but fyi), printable book labels, suggestions for book check-out systems, and some lessons to teach kids how to properly handle and care for books. Hope some of this is helpful.
http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/free-resources/literacy/class-library
Have a fantastic school year! :)
It looks great! My fav book was Happy Birthday, Moon.
That looks awesome! The kids will love it….or the ones who are book loving nerds like I am will anyway.
Favorite children’s book? Peter Pan. Best. story. ever. It imbodies the spirit of imagination, dares you to dream, and encourages a part of you to never grow up.
Reading your blog makes me want to be a child again…in your class! It’s so obvious you love your job. Please don’t ever lose that passion! My favorite childhood book is “Charlotte’s Web”. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it taught me so many life lessons. Thanks for the memory rush.
One of the children I babysit for asked me to read him the Giving Tree one night. I nearly started crying right there and then.
I wish there were more teachers like you in the world. I’m not up on children’s books, but my fave teen book right now is the Hunger Games series (just finished the latest installment. Came out last week, and my daughter (12) and I have both read it, and my wife is currently reading it. My son (9) voted to go last so he wouldn’t ‘be pressured to finish it’.) Then there’s the classic Phantom Tollbooth…
Good luck with the new schoolyear! :)
LOVE it! I hope your students just love the library in your room and realize how much work went into it. (:
Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet & Allan Ahlberg or The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree.
I don’t know how I JUST NOW saw this post. Regardless, I love it. I am a “secondary” person, but I can relate to the time, effort, energy and money expended to get ready for the year. Your kids are lucky little rascals!
It sounds like I have no originality, but The Giving Tree is the best book ever. I now work in a state department of education and out of over 200 employees, 50+ named that as our favorite book. Just saying.